Motorcycles have a limited amount of space for storing luggage and typically utilise rear side-mounted packs (panniers) mounted on frames or supports to transport luggage. Motorcycles may be supplied with pannier frames that enable the attachment of panniers which straddle the rear frame of the motorcycle. Panniers are attached to pannier frames at attachment points that are both horizontally and vertically separated in order to reduce vibration, and, to provide a secure attachment. This means that pannier frames are usually quite large and often substantially cover the rear wheel of a motorcycle.
It is desirable for frames and panniers to be less visible when not in use to ensure favourable aesthetics and aerodynamics. Furthermore, it is desirable for panniers to be detachable in order to maximise practicality of the motorcycle when less storage capacity is required. For example, it may be possible for a passenger to be transported on the rear (pillion) seat of a motorcycle when panniers are detached.
One solution has been to detach an entire pannier rack when it is not required. However this is typically difficult and time-consuming. Collapsible panniers are discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,025,236B1 and 3,934,770A, However these have several disadvantages. For example, the shape of the pannier is limited to being rectangular which negatively impacts the aesthetics and aerodynamics of the motorcycle. The storage provided is fixed and not configurable without replacing the entire collapsible device (in other words it is not possible to easily use alternative panniers). Furthermore, there remains a substantial side and rear profile of the pannier when the pannier is in a collapsed state.
The present invention has been devised with the foregoing in mind.